t time out, first oneshot... you get the drift. Review please though- I'm not a one shot person, and if this goes well, I might churn out more...

Disclaimer: Not mine. Though... Daddy might buy for me...

Hawking

Hawking.

A favorite pastime of the Noble Clans of Konoha.

Especially the Hyuuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan.

It had been an old tradition, when one asks another of the other sex out onto a hunting party, no less than three chaperones would be watching, hawk-eyed, not meaning the pun

But when the Uchiha Clan's feathers drooped and were cast away in the wind, along with the Hyuuga Clan's gradual molting, the tradition was forgone, told only in rare chuckles as the elders talked about the old days.

The younglings were fascinated, and though for a moment, the Hyuuga Clan did continue the tradition on their own, Hiashi forbade it, for fear the hawking would provide chances for the Cloud to seize the secrets of the Byagukan.

But who knew the hawk would continue to be baited.

It started out as something completely incidental.

Unlike most thought, they did not meet in darkness, in the time where the day is dark blue, and the sounds, quiet. The matchmakers were always dumbed how they didn't think about it in the first place, and the rumormongers were always making up new ways on how they met.

When asked, both would shake their heads and smile quietly- well, one would anyway. The other would smirk.

They didn't come together to heal wounds. They did not meet in a time of sadness, as one would have thought fitting for the two. He didn't just fall in love at first sight for her beauty. She didn't find him dashing at first either.

Their love wasn't something predetermined, Fate-induced. Their love was simple- sweet love that always come when two people who were good for each other met and spread their wings together.

But one thing that was for sure.

They met in the glory of her name. In the sunshine.

The sun had been bright that day. Cheery even. The woods had smelt of sweet pine, the grass, wet fromtender dew.

It was morning.

She had been wandering the forest, picking herbs for her ointments. He had been hawking, a strangely favorite past time of the Avenger.

Her pet dove had, by chance, landed on her open white hand, chirping happiness to her, much to her wide-eyed, open joy.

A hawk had been hunting that day- a beautiful hawk, a vicious hawk, a deadly hawk. Black eyed, brown tipped feathers, a glossy sheen of an efficient hunter. Red tripping down his sharp beak.

The flash of white on the dark dirt ground hadn't been too hard for it to spot.

She hadn't wanted to kill it. But she didn't want her little bird to be slaughtered either.

So instead, she had merely thrown a kunai to cut through it's wing, injuring it.

Who was she to know that this specific, blue-banded, genetically altered, male, naughty hawk at been the Uchiha's prized fowl?

"That's mine."

His harsh cold voice hadn't startled her, really. Still, she was intimidated, and took much of her courage to make herself look up into his eyes- after all, he was a few inches taller. She tried to act "bluntly forward".

So?

The dove was now on her shoulder, still chirping, still happy. She couldn't understand the thick tension that had clouded the small forest.

He glared at it, as if it was entirely its fault that's his hawk was injured, which wasn't actually too far off the mark.

As if not acknowledging him, Hinata bent down, and, crooning softly, she turned the hawk over, taking out her bandages and ointments.

He watched her, cold eyes intent, more focused on the hawk really, than her.

She gave him back his possession soon enough, bandages and all. True, their fingers had brushed, but neither really thought about anything.

He turned abruptly after that, and left.

She took her leave soon afterwards.

The herbs needed a day of boiling anyway.

They met again. And again. And again.

It was usually the same. Her dove flying in her forest as she would love to dub it, his hawk on the prowl for easy prey. Sometimes, she felt the exasperation as to screech at the damn bird to leave off her pet. Or even to go as far as to screech at the owner to find another meadow, another part of the woods to wander.

But sometimes, sometimes, she would bump into him front on, before the usual glaring on how he was causing her innocent dove a slow death by scaring it with his damn hawk or his calm retorts on how he was as much entitled here as she was.And they would exchange a few words.

Of coarse, she would still keep a distance- she really, really didn't like him.

But when one day, he asked her to go hawking with him- oh, every Clan House knew how to hawk- she had been completely taken with surprise. Eyes wide, the picture of pure, innocent, surprise- nothing fake. Nothing induced.

It became commonplace for them, soon after that, to meet at exactly 8 minutes to four. A snowywhite goshawkperched on her arm, him, his beloved blue-banded hawk.

They were both quiet people, but they still fought. Such as the fact Hinata would insist on bring her dove everywhere she went, much to his complaining, and her retorting.

They were both hurt as children through people they had loved, and still did. But they still flew with open wings with each other

They were both shy people- but passionate. Contrary to popular belief, they did share more than just mere, chaste kisses in their relationship.

And most of all, they were both secretive people.

Perhaps that's why when one day, when they both decided to go to Ichiraku after their regular session, they had shocked everyone when they had arrived together. Not holding hands, or anything so daringly obvious,but still.

When Neji inquired her (note, in front of the whole Rookie Nine) where she had been, he had frozen still when she (at the same time gazing pointedly at Sasuke) mentioned the word "hawking".

In which, he replied by sending evil, brotherly insinuated, dempas into the air.

Oh yes, and tackling Sasuke into the ground, ignoring the shocked gazes of his peers.

Oh yes, yes, not quite understanding the situation, Naruto had asked why was Neji-kun pinning The Bastard against the wall- was it that he was gay and greeting his lover?

Neji, to this day still haven't living it down, will respond which a "che", while Hinata, watching the whole thing, calmly petted her dove.

And in which Sasuke would snort and pull Hinata close to his chest.

Lah... Like it? I don't like this one... -sighs- -sulks in a corner- Cookies anyone?

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